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April172015

All You Had to Learn about Rehoming A Canine

Pet dog rehoming is not something that needs to be undertaken without mindful consideration.
There are numerous concerns to ask yourself prior to you provide your pet dog up for sale or adoption. You have to ask yourself why you truly wish to give your canine away and if the concern can't be fixed any other way. Canine rescuing and canine rehoming are the growing concern of these days and numerous NGO's are working to provide help to helpless and ignored dogs. They are in the objective of offering a brand-new life and environment to the speechless animals by finding a brand-new house for them. Simply make a search over the web and you will certainly learn more about about lots of pet dog rehoming centers in your place. Do a reference check to see if the individual is used and could have an animal in their home. Meanwhile, the first dog was living with Kelsey and her 3 roomies in their college house. The other roomies didn't such as the dog and told Kelsey it was the canine or them. Kelsey then started looking for a brand-new house for the canine. Ultimately the canine went to the parents of one of the roomie's partners and was driven two states away. That's the last I've heard of her. Step 3: Introductions. Numerous rehoming centres have a special room where you can spend time having fun with the canine, and you can occasionally be given the choice of taking them for a walk. You may discover it essential to have 2 intros, particularly if you currently own a pet dog, so the 2 canines can likewise get to know each other. First off, you can attempt to rehome your pet dog privately. You can do this through categorized advertisements, either online or in a local paper. To start a canine training company in London, the first and the foremost demand is a proper training in dog training. Pet dog fitness instructors London must seek professional training in pet dog training from respectable institutes/centres. There are proper training institutes that teach the A-Z of dog training in London to striving dog fitness instructors. These institutes felicitate their students with accreditations on completion of the course which strengthen that the pet dog trainer has undergone correct training and is licensed to work as a professional fitness instructor in London.

April142015

In pictures: Ebola orphans

The Ebola outbreak in parts of West Africa has left more than 500 orphans, with parents either dying or abandoning their children, aid agencies say.

In normal circumstances, extended families would take in orphaned children but many are now refusing to do so, they say.

"Children are sent off to extended family outside affected areas, but extended families don't want to take care of orphans of affected parents or other vulnerable children any more out of fear of being contaminated or stigmatised in the community," said Dr Unni Krishnan, head of disaster preparedness and response for Plan International.

John, five, from Lofa County, Liberia lost both his parents to Ebola. When they died, no-one was prepared to look after him and his sisters because their parents had died from Ebola. Their extended family is from Sierra Leone but it has not been possible to trace them.

Siah, 16, is the oldest of three siblings and is now facing the challenge of raising her younger brother and sister. "We cry every day and night because of Mama," she says. "I can't imagine how I will take care of the children without any help. I feel very scared right now. I don't want Ebola to catch any other member of my family. I can't afford to lose any of these children to Ebola."

In Bomi, Liberia, Miatta, 16, Jenneh, 12, Musa, five, Larmie, one, and Hawa, six months, are the only remaining members of their family. They lost both parents to Ebola. Miatta is now raising her brother and two sisters along with her son Larmie. "When my mother was sick, they came for her," she says. "I was scared and thought they were spirits because of the clothes they were wearing."

"When day breaks, I cook dry rice, and [we] eat," says Miatta. She says the health ministry gave them 30 cups of rice when their mother died, but they have not received any more food from the government. "I want to be a president in the future," she adds. "When I become president, I will make sure that things will become accessible like rice and medicine."

Musa and his siblings are sometimes given food by churches or community members. They are trying to keep themselves safe by washing their hands regularly, but they have little money, which they need to buy chlorine for the water.

Also in Bomi, Pascaline, 14, (in orange), Noami, 12, (bright green), Yonger, 11, (purple) and Blessing, two, sit on the porch of their home on the first day the quarantine was lifted from their house after they lost their parents to Ebola.

Their elder sister Fatu, 28, (pictured here braiding sister Princess's hair) says their father was the first to get sick from Ebola. "He used to work at the Ahmadiya hospital. He was treated but he didn't recover and he died. After a few days, grandma also got sick and died. Our mother also died after 14 days and then the last to die in this roll was my little brother."

Fatu says: "I'm feeling bad for several reasons. I have not been able to go to the hospital for my regular check-up as a pregnant woman because of the 21 days quarantine that was placed on their house. Also, people in the community are stigmatising us because they say Ebola is in our house. So nobody wants to have anything to do with us."

The only pictures the family has of their parents are their old voter identification cards. Fatu says: "Living like this is hard and I can't imagine what will happen to the country if things should continue like this. The health ministry only gave us food one time and that was all."

Nigeria girls remembered one year on

Ceremonies are to be staged around the world to mark one year since more than 200 girls were abducted by Nigerian militant Islamist group Boko Haram.

A procession is being held in the capital, Abuja, with 219 girls taking part to represent each missing girl.

The abduction of the girls in Chibok in north-eastern Nigeria sparked global outrage, with nations such as the US and China promising to help find them.

There have been sightings of the girls reported, but none has been found.

Boko Haram say the girls have converted to Islam and been married off. One witness told the BBC that she saw more than 50 of them alive three weeks ago in the north-eastern town of Gwoza.

Analysis: Will Ross, BBC Nigeria correspondent

It has been a whole year of agony for the relatives of the missing 219 Chibok girls. There have been a few sightings of some of the abducted students but very little official information from a government that has long promised to rescue them from the clutches of Boko Haram.

One mother told the BBC she sometimes arranges her 19-year-old daughter's clothes in the hope that she is about to return home.

The scale of this conflict is so grim that the Chibok girls represent just a fraction of those seized by the jihadists. Many have escaped partly thanks to a recent military offensive - but not the Chibok girls.

High-profile figures such as Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai and US First Lady Michelle Obama were among those who drew attention to their plight on Twitter last year under the #BringBackOurGirls hashtag.

Since then, the activists who began that campaign have spoken of relatives' anguish at still not knowing what happened to the girls, and have criticised the Nigerian government of outgoing President Goodluck Jonathan for not doing enough to find them.

"Our president has said the girls are alive. Our question is: 'Where are our girls?'" Aisha Yesufu, a spokeswoman for the group, told the BBC.

Mr Jonathan told the BBC's Newsday that political rivalries had hampered the federal government's ability to grasp the scale of the Chibok attack and respond to it, as the government of Borno state, a Boko Haram stronghold, was run by an opposition party.

A video released by Boko Haram last year showed 136 girls, three of whom spoke to the camera

Nigeria's incoming president, Muhammadu Buhari, said his government would "do everything in its power to bring them home" but said he "cannot promise that we can find them".

The six-year Boko Haram insurgency in the north has left thousands dead.

Amnesty International say the militants have abducted 2,000 girls and women since the start of last year, using them as cooks, sex slaves and fighters.

MLW has become one of the first African research centres to share their portfolio of research relevant to the malaria elimination and eradication agenda in the open database 'MESA Track'. This is all thanks to the close collaboration of the MLW team and especially of Anja Terlouw (Malaria theme lead at MLW) who said: "This is an important initiative that I am keen to support".

A study to develop new subdistrict-level surveillance tools to help guide the targeted use of interventions to reduce transmission;

Clinical studies of the safety of higher dose DHA-ppq in young children, which the researchers expect will contribute valuable data to determining safe dose regimens for MDA strategies;

A project that quantifies the role that human mobility plays in malaria transmission.

MESA Track is an open, growing database and researchers can directly submit their work via a simple online form. The MESA Secretariat is working with other research institutions and funders, including other Wellcome Trust partners to compile their portfolios and share them online. For more information, please email mar.velarde@isglobal.org.

March152015

Tenerife make a point

Las Palmas 1 CD Tenerife 1

Over 28,000 watched the latest Canary Islands derby and whilst it might not have been the greatest it was certainly enthralling. And some serious questions were answered. Tenerife were excellent. They can be proud of their performance as they backed up the fine win over Real Valladoild with another gutsy display against a high flying side.

Young Cristo Diaz once again showed what a fine prospect he is by effortlessly filling the boots of the suspended Aitor Sanz and he was the soul of the team. Tenerife refused to be bullied and weathered the early Las Palmas storm.

I've written before about how one dimensional Las Palmas are, and they really do have no plan B. It took Tenerife ten minutes to snuff out the fast start and once they worked out how the hosts would play, they really never looked in any trouble.

Sure, Las Palmas had a couple of good free kicks, but so does every side.

Tenerife boss Raul Agne caused a surprise by dropping top scorer Diego Ifran with Gran Canarian born lump Aridane taking his place. The idea worked a treat as Aridane was used to hold up the ball and for once he ruffled a few defenders feathers. This enabled the improving Maxi Lopez to nip down the channels.

And it was one such run that gave Tenerife the lead four minutes into the second half. And it all started in the Tenerife box. Jonathan Viera has had a nightmare return to the club and he pulled up short chasing a ball into the Tenerife box. He crumbled into a heap and started crying like a baby as he held his torn hamstring.

It took a full two minutes for him to be substituted and when Momo finally came on Las Palmas were still reorganising themselves. Tenerife took advantage and a static Las Palmas defence was caught with a through ball. Maxi was on to it in a flash, taking the ball away from the defender, and then poking it past the onrushing Casto in goal. With previously unseen composure he finished the job off to send the 1,000 Tenerife fans into delirium.

It was a smart finish from a player who seems to have found a bit of confidence at last.

Alas the lead lasted only four minutes. From Las Palmas only corner of the afternoon Hernan leapt like the proverbial salmon to glance the ball past Dani and into the roof of the net.

It was a fine response from the league leaders and should have signalled an onslaught. But it never came. Carlos Ruiz and Albizua were rock sold at the back while our own pitbull Raul Camara was snarling away at every attacker. The spirit in the left back is admiral. And then there is Dani Hernandez.

He has been a revelation in goal since joining in the transfer window. He is what we have been missing since Sergio Aragoneses' fall out with the board in October 2013. While young Carlos Abad is still getting over a knee problem, Dani has come in and become a rock.

His form has caught the eye of Venezuela manager Noel Sanvicente and he has been called up for the matches with Peru and Jamaica at the end of the month. This means he will miss the trip to Barcelona B.

The point keeps Tenerife out of the drop zone and gives them all the confidence in the world against some very winnable matches. This weekend Leganes are in Santa Cruz and they have had a stellar season. They had won the four matches before bumping into promotion chasing Girona last week. But all those wins were against sides in the bottom half of the table.

Their winning streak coincided with the loan signing of Chuli in the transfer window. That's the same Chuli who Tenerife tried so hard to capture in January!

Tenerife welcome back Aitor Sanz after his suspension and he is chomping at the bit "I'm raring to go" he said. "It was hard watching the Derby match as everyone wanted to play. But we got the job done. {If you are planning on taking a trip to The Canary Islands the following link has detailed information on Cheap Child Friendly Gran Canaria Hotels.|

If you are considering a trip to The Canary Islands this year then you will find that the following link has facts and information particularly useful to anybody interested in ##LINK~##.|

Situated closer to North Africa than Spain, the Canary Islands have long been a favourite of the British holidaymaker. If a trip to The Canary Islands is on this years holiday agenda then clicking on he following link will provide facts and information particularly useful to anybody interested in ##LINK~##.Cristo Diaz is a very good player. He listens and he does things correctly. That is important in a younger player. And I think you can see how much we want to do well. We will keep this going and I am confident for this weekend."

After this weekend Tenerife hit a run of matches that will define the season. Recreativo, Osasuna and Barcelona B are all struggling and if Tenerife can get a few wins there, they will be safe for another season.

'Exceptional': Miner finds 29.6-carat blue diamond

Philip Mostert / Petra Diamonds Limited via AFP - Getty Images

This handout picture released by the Petra Diamonds company website on Jan. 21, 2014 shows a 29.6 carat blue diamond, worth several million dollars, which was found in January 2014 in the Cullinan mine near Pretoria, South Africa.

LONDON -- A 29.6-carat blue diamond, one of the rarest and most coveted in the world with a possible price tag of tens of millions of dollars, has been discovered at a South African mine by Petra Diamonds.

The miner said the "exceptional" acorn-sized diamond, small enough to fit into the palm of a hand, was unearthed at the Cullinan mine near Pretoria.

The mine, owned by the firm since 2008, was also where the Cullinan Diamond was found in 1905 - described as the largest rough gem diamond ever recovered and weighing 3,106 carats.

Other notable diamonds found in the mine include a 25.5 carat Cullinan blue diamond, found in 2013 and sold for $16.9 million, and a diamond found in 2008, known as the Star of Josephine, which was sold for $9.49 million.

"By some margin ... this is probably the most significant stone we've ever, in terms of blue stones, recovered," he said.

"The stones in the last year or so are selling well above $2 million per carat. That's not my quote, that's updates in the market," he said ahead of the company's first-half trading statement.

Petra Diamonds is due to release figures on production and sales for the six months to December 31 on Thursday, but these will not take into account the find which occurred in January.

Analyst Cailey Barker at brokers Numis thought the diamond could fetch between $15 million and $20 million at auction.

Diamonds from both the Cullinan mine in South Africa and the Williamson facilities in Tanzania, both owned by Petra, have been displayed at London's Buckingham Palace and are regarded as among the rarest and most valuable in the world.

The 1905 Cullinan Diamond has been cut into two stones - the First Star of Africa and the Second Star of Africa - and form part of Britain's Crown Jewels held in the Tower of London.

Dippenaar said the company would decide what to do with the diamond in the next week.

March142015

US Students Unveil Cutting-Edge Research at Top Science Competition

Malaria is a common, life-threatening disease in many tropical and subtropical areas of the world, especially Africa. At the last count there were over 100 countries and territories where there is a risk of malaria transmission, and these are visited by more than 125 million international travellers every year. Click on the link for more information on How To Prevent Malaria

Deborah Block

Published March 13, 2015

Some of the brightest high school students in the United States showcased their ground-breaking math and science research at the annual Intel Science Talent Search. Forty high school seniors, who came up with new technologies and scientific breakthroughs, competed for the top prizes of $150,000. Their innovations included a blood testing kit for smartphones, and a computer that identifies potential new drugs to combat disease. VOA's Deborah Block spoke with some of the young scientists.

Naxal attacks may have accounted for the deaths of 50 CRPF personnel in 2014 in various naxal affected districts of the country but close to double that number succumb to various diseases.

According to the latest government data, 27 succumbed to malaria while a further 35 died due to heart attack in 2014 and of the eleven personnel who died to 2015, only two were killed by naxals.

The information brings to fore the poor working conditions for CRPF jawans fighting naxals in the jungles of Chattisgarh, Jharkhand and Bihar.

A CRPF officer who recently served in Sukma, Chhattisgarh was quoted in Times of India as saying, "At camps in the jungles, there are just a few constables trained in first aid and armed with malaria detection kit. Several times they fail to diagnose correctly as strains such as falciparum malaria do not always come with high fever. By the time the personnel falls seriously sick, it is too late as evacuation from the camp alone takes about two days."

Another major reason is the tough working conditions that the personnel work in patrolling vast stretches of forest and the lack of leave or rest days afforded to them to recuperate.

When visiting countries with a serious risk of malaria, wherever possible, visitors should take enough medicine with them to cover the longest possible duration of the trip. It is particularly vital that travellers are aware that tablets intended for the prevention and treatment of malaria are often subject to counterfeiting wherever malaria can be a serious risk. Click on the link for more information on http://www.malariaprevention.co.uk/anti-malaria-tablets-doxycycline-lariam-malarone/

In his office at the University of California San Francisco's Global Health Group, Sir Richard Feachem, Ph.D. scans a map of malaria hot spots the way a general might survey a battlefield. For the last decade the war's been going his way. Malaria-related deaths worldwide have been cut in half since 2000. But now, he's afraid the enemy is adapting.

"There is a dark cloud on the horizon, and that is resistance by one of the main malaria parasites to the most commonly used drug, and that resistance is growing," Feachem said.

The drug he's referring to is Artemisinin. For decades, it's been produced from a plant called wormwood. And as ABC7 News reported late last year, the treatment became even more cost effective when a team led by Berkeley researcher Jay Keasling, Ph.D. created an artificial version, using genetically modified yeast.

But now Feachem and other malaria experts believe the benefits from that breakthrough, and Artemisinin based drugs in general, could be in jeopardy. The malaria parasites showing immunity were discovered in South East Asia, and the concern now is that the strain could be just a plane ride away from spreading to other hot spots like West Africa.

"We now believe that containing resistance simply isn't possible We have to eliminate it, to stamp it out completely," he argues.

To stamp out the drug resistant malaria, Feachem and others are proposing a kind of full scale assault. They are overwhelming the strain with mega-doses of Artemisinin, combined with other drugs as well. The strategy is called mass drug administration and it calls for entire populations to be treated in critical areas, including people who are not showing symptoms.

"Giving a completely curative dose of drugs to people whether or not we know they are affected," Feachem explains.

The goal is to block the parasite from being transmitted from humans to mosquitoes. In the meantime, the World Health Organization is coordinating regional response teams from centers in Cambodia and Myanmar. Feachem says new anti-malaria drugs that do not contain Artemisinin are already in the pipeline, and could be available within the next five years.

"And if we lose the battle against resistance, the response would be to use these new drugs and put Artemisinin aside and not use it anymore."

Still Living in Lanzarote Now Available For Your Kindle

Still Living In Lanzarote is the follow up to Mike's best selling book Living in Lanzarote. It has been out in paperback for some time, but is now available for the Amazon Kindle. {If you are planning on visiting The Canary Islands the following link has detailed information on Discounted Tenerife Pet Friendly Hotels.|

If a trip to The Canary Islands is on this years holiday agenda then you will find that the following link has information especially useful to those looking for ##LINK~##.|

Situated closer to North Africa than Spain, the Canary Islands have long been a favourite of the British holidaymaker. If you are considering a trip to The Canary Islands this year then you will find that the following link has facts and information especially useful to anybody interested in ##LINK~##.The book follows the family's time on the island from 2006 until the present day, and covers a difficult period when the recession but hard, and when the going for many in Lanzarote got tough. Happily, it also charts something of a renaissance as well as a big change of direction both in their working and personal lives.

The Kindle version is just £2.27 for UK readers and EUR3.07 for those in Europe and here are links for most countries - if your country is not listed below, just visit your Amazon page and search for "Still Living in Lanzarote."

In pictures: Ebola orphans

The Ebola outbreak in parts of West Africa has left more than 500 orphans, with parents either dying or abandoning their children, aid agencies say.

In normal circumstances, extended families would take in orphaned children but many are now refusing to do so, they say.

"Children are sent off to extended family outside affected areas, but extended families don't want to take care of orphans of affected parents or other vulnerable children any more out of fear of being contaminated or stigmatised in the community," said Dr Unni Krishnan, head of disaster preparedness and response for Plan International.

John, five, from Lofa County, Liberia lost both his parents to Ebola. When they died, no-one was prepared to look after him and his sisters because their parents had died from Ebola. Their extended family is from Sierra Leone but it has not been possible to trace them.

Siah, 16, is the oldest of three siblings and is now facing the challenge of raising her younger brother and sister. "We cry every day and night because of Mama," she says. "I can't imagine how I will take care of the children without any help. I feel very scared right now. I don't want Ebola to catch any other member of my family. I can't afford to lose any of these children to Ebola."

In Bomi, Liberia, Miatta, 16, Jenneh, 12, Musa, five, Larmie, one, and Hawa, six months, are the only remaining members of their family. They lost both parents to Ebola. Miatta is now raising her brother and two sisters along with her son Larmie. "When my mother was sick, they came for her," she says. "I was scared and thought they were spirits because of the clothes they were wearing."

"When day breaks, I cook dry rice, and [we] eat," says Miatta. She says the health ministry gave them 30 cups of rice when their mother died, but they have not received any more food from the government. "I want to be a president in the future," she adds. "When I become president, I will make sure that things will become accessible like rice and medicine."

Musa and his siblings are sometimes given food by churches or community members. They are trying to keep themselves safe by washing their hands regularly, but they have little money, which they need to buy chlorine for the water.

Also in Bomi, Pascaline, 14, (in orange), Noami, 12, (bright green), Yonger, 11, (purple) and Blessing, two, sit on the porch of their home on the first day the quarantine was lifted from their house after they lost their parents to Ebola.

Their elder sister Fatu, 28, (pictured here braiding sister Princess's hair) says their father was the first to get sick from Ebola. "He used to work at the Ahmadiya hospital. He was treated but he didn't recover and he died. After a few days, grandma also got sick and died. Our mother also died after 14 days and then the last to die in this roll was my little brother."

Fatu says: "I'm feeling bad for several reasons. I have not been able to go to the hospital for my regular check-up as a pregnant woman because of the 21 days quarantine that was placed on their house. Also, people in the community are stigmatising us because they say Ebola is in our house. So nobody wants to have anything to do with us."

The only pictures the family has of their parents are their old voter identification cards. Fatu says: "Living like this is hard and I can't imagine what will happen to the country if things should continue like this. The health ministry only gave us food one time and that was all."

All Saints church news

The Car Boots of the 2015 season so far have been very well patronised events by participants and supporters alike. A hum of bargaining and buying has been evident and a swift trade on both hot and cold drinks,together with very tasty burgers, hot dogs, sándwiches and other delights to tempt the palate, for those taking time out for a lunch break. Lots of buying, lots of chat and a very happy time for all concerned.

The next Car Boot will be April Saturday 11th, please note date as it is not our usual first Saturday of the month due to Easter which is a very special celebration in the church's calendar. {If you are planning on taking a journey to The Canary Islands the following link has some more information on Cheap Child Friendly Hotels in Gran Canaria.|

If you are considering a trip to The Canary Islands this year then clicking on he following link will provide information particularly relevant to those looking for ##LINK~##.|

Situated closer to North Africa than Spain, the Canary Islands have long been a favourite of the British holidaymaker. If a trip to The Canary Islands is on this years holiday agenda then clicking on he following link will provide facts and information particularly relevant to anybody interested in ##LINK~##.There will also be a Car Boots on May 2nd and June 6th bringing us upto a break for summer.

The last of our Lent Discussion groups" Praise Him, Songs of Praise in the New Testament" will be held on Wednesday 16th March followed by soup, bread and cheese. These led by Revd Ian Eglin and his wife Caroline have been extremely popular.

All Saints Church will be holding its Annual General Meeting on Wednesday 18th March starting at 4pm sharp.

All Saints Church will also be holding an Easter Sunday lunch on April 5th after the Service.Please phone Caroline on 922381981

Services for Holy week will be as follows.

Palm Sunday the Blessing of the Palms and Sung Eucharist-- Sunday29th March at 11am

Maundy Thursday Eucharist of the Last Supper and Prayer Watch of Gethsemane-- Thursday April 2nd commencing at 7pm. Good Friday Liturgy of the Passion-- Friday March 3rd at 2pm.

Easter Day Holy Eucharist at 9.30am and Sung Eucharist at 11am-- Sunday April 5th.

As All Saints church is currently in Interregnum our Locum Priest until March 24th will be the Revd Ian Eglin. Revd Ian and his wife Caroline have been an inspiration to us all and we will be extremely sorry to see them go . Revd Ian and Caroline Thank you both.

From Thursday March 26th until early May our Locum Priest will be the Revd Stewart Timbrell, Revd Stewart has been visiting Tenerife for many years and is well known to us all.

If you would like to speak to our Locum Priests they can be contacted at the Parsonage on 922384038 or mobile 619847598.

March032015

Malaria News Feeds: Malaria Plays Hide-and-Seek with Immune System by Using Long Noncoding ... - Infection Control Today

Breaking the code of malaria parasite's immune evasion: Professor Ron Dzikowski and PhD student Inbar Amit-Avraham at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Photo courtesy of Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Up to 1 million people -- mainly pregnant woman and young children -- are killed each year by the Plasmodium falciparum parasite, which causes the most devastating form of human malaria. Now, researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have revealed the genetic trickery this deadly parasite deploys to escape attack by the human immune system.

The parasite is known to replicate within the circulating blood of infected individuals and modify the surface of infected red blood cells. Its virulence comes from its impressive ability to hide from the immune system by selectively changing which surface proteins it displays.

This sophisticated game of hide-and-seek, which involves continually alternating the foreign molecules, called antigens, that can trigger an immune response, is called antigenic variation.

Previous research has shown that the antigens the parasite selectively displays are encoded by members of a gene family named var. The parasite tightly regulates the expression of these var genes so that only one is expressed at any given time, while the rest of the family is maintained silent.

Understanding this complex mechanism is essential to understanding how the deadly Plasmodium falciparum parasite evades the immune system. It is also more broadly important to science because the process by which cells can express a single gene while keeping alternative genes silent is one of the unsolved mysteries in the field of eukaryotic gene expression.

In research at the Hebrew University's faculty of medicine, professor Ron Dzikowski and his PhD student Inbar Amit-Avraham found that at the precise moment in the cell cycle when a specific var gene is active, corresponding RNA molecules (of a type called long noncoding RNA) are present.

Furthermore, these long noncoding RNA (lncRNAs) molecules incorporate themselves into DNA structures, and determine how the parasite selects a single gene for expression while the rest of the family is kept silent.

In a series of genetic experiments in transgenic parasite lines, the researchers were able to activate silent var genes by expressing their specific lncRNAs molecules, thus demonstrating their functional role in var gene activation.

The research was conducted at the Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics at the Institute for Medical Research Israel-Canada, in the Hebrew University's Faculty of Medicine; and at the Sanford F. Kuvin Center for the Study of Infectious and Tropical Diseases at the Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical School.

In a further development, the researchers collaborated with Dr. Eylon Yavin, at the Institute for Drug Research in the Hebrew University's School of Pharmacy, to develop a novel way to interfere with these lncRNAs. They further showed that through this interference they could suppress the active var gene, erase the memory that regulates var expression, and induce switching towards expression of other var genes.

The research provides evidence that these lncRNAs molecules play a key role in regulating the genetic mechanisms enabling the deadly parasite to evade human immunity.

According to Dzikowski, "We believe this breakthrough has exposed the tip of the iceberg in understanding how the deadliest malaria parasite regulates the selective expression of its genes, enabling it to evade the immune system. Understanding the mechanisms by which the parasite evades immunity takes us closer to finding ways to either block this ability, or force the parasite to expose its entire antigenic repertoire and thus allow the human immune system to overcome the disease. Such findings can help pave the way for development of new therapies and vaccines for malaria."

The study appears in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS Early Edition) as Amit-Avraham et al., "Antisense long noncoding RNAs regulate var gene activation in the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum."

The research was supported by Israel Academy of Science and Humanities and European Research Council. Inbar Amit-Avraham was supported by the Abisch-Frenkel Foundation.